Real Drinking Chocolate Changed My Life in Paris at Sixteen.

Real drinking chocolate changed my life in Paris at sixteen. Here is my three ingredient recipe, decades in the making and finally exactly right.

Here’s my recipe — three ingredients and decades in the making.

If you have been following along here you already know that my morning begins with a cup of drinking chocolate. I have mentioned it many times over the years on the blog and in my Morning Ritual After 50 post.

Before I give you the recipe, let me tell you the story. Because this cup of chocolate has a history and the history is half the point.

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Paris, 1982 — Where It All Began

As a child my mother made us homemade hot cocoa using the recipe on the Hershey’s cocoa can. The mugs were big and overflowing with marshmallows. It was my favorite drink — after all, who doesn’t love chocolate.

Fast forward to 1982. I was sixteen, it was a rainy Paris day and we were cold and wet. We ducked into a café to warm up. I was handed a small pitcher, a cup and a bowl of whipped cream. I poured out something thick, rich, dark and chocolaty, topped it with whipped cream and took a sip. This was not my mother’s hot cocoa. This was not Swiss Miss. This was something else entirely. I did not know what it was called but I knew that I wanted to try it again and again — and for the rest of the trip I did, every chance I could get.

The Search

For years after that trip I tried to recreate that chocolate. I found versions in Spain — close, thick and rich, but not quite it. In Italy I had it at Caffè Florian on St. Mark’s Square in Venice and again in Florence at Caffè Rivoire. The chocolate was intense and delicious — the kind where the spoon stands up in the cup. There were cups in Amsterdam, Brussels, Germany, Scotland and London too and they were all delicious. Then I tried every American version I could find and will simply say that they were fine, but they were not my dream chocolat chaud.

The closest I ever came to the original was at Angelina on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris — if you have ever been there you know exactly what I am talking about. Their L’Africain, or chocolat chaud à l’ancienne, is legendary for a reason. Dark, thick and chocolaty, served in a small white pitcher with a bowl of whipped cream on the side. It is an experience as much as a drink. I have been back many times and loved every cup.

But I needed a version I could make at home. And after years of trial and error I finally have it.

What Makes It Drinking Chocolate — Not Hot Cocoa

Before I give you the recipe let me explain the difference because it matters.

Hot cocoa is made with cocoa powder, sugar, and milk or water. It is sweet and light and perfectly fine. It is what most of us grew up with.

Drinking chocolate is made with real chocolate — actual chocolate, melted and whisked into warm milk. The result is something completely different. Thicker, richer, more intense. Less sweet. It coats the cup, it coats the spoon, it warms you from the inside out in a way that cocoa simply cannot.

It is also not a drink you gulp down. You sip it. Slowly. Preferably from a beautiful cup, in a quiet room, while the birds splash in the bird bath and a wren checks on her nest.

My Chocolate Sources

The quality of the chocolate matters in this recipe. You cannot make drinking chocolate with baking chocolate from the supermarket shelf and expect it to taste like Paris. You need good chocolate and I have two that I use interchangeably.

TCHO — a San Francisco based chocolate company that takes the sourcing and quality of their chocolate seriously. Their dark chocolate is slightly fruity and makes a wonderful drinking chocolate. I have been using it for years.

Guittard — a California chocolate company that has been making chocolate since 1868. Their chocolate is delicious and available online. If you have never cooked or baked with Guittard you are in for a treat. Williams Sonoma uses Guittard in their signature hot chocolate — be sure to treat yourself to a can.

Both are available online and but if you cannot find them use Lindt or Ghirardelli. Good chocolate is worth the investment — especially when a small amount goes a long way.

The Recipe

This is it. Three ingredients. No packets, no powder, no shortcuts.

Real Drinking Chocolate Ingredients

•   2½ oz good dark chocolate — TCHO or Guittard bittersweet — finely chopped
• 1 cup whole milk
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• A pinch of cinnamon — optional but recommended
• Brown sugar to taste — start with half a teaspoon
•  Whipped cream to serve or if you prefer frothed milk foam

Directions

•   Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil. Once warmed, remove from the heat.
•  Add the chopped chocolate and whisk steadily until completely melted and smooth.
• Return to medium heat, bring to a gentle simmer and continue stirring for a few minutes until the chocolate reaches your desired consistency.
•  Add the cayenne and cinnamon — start with less than you think you need, you can always add mor
•  Taste and add brown sugar if desired — start with half a teaspoon.
•  Whisk until the chocolate is slightly frothy and steaming.
• Pour into your favorite cup and top with whipped cream.
•  Sit down. Do not rush this, you are worth it.

A few notes

Cayenne is not traditional in French drinking chocolate — it is simply something I like. Start with a pinch and adjust to suit yourself. The cinnamon is equally optional but I rarely skip it.

Whole milk makes a richer cup. Some people like to add a splash of heavy cream as well. You can also use a milk alternative but the texture will be thinner. I do not use whipped cream on my chocolate every morning but do add it once in a while.

And if you happen to have a chocolate pot — use it. Not because you need to, but because every day is a celebration and Thursday morning is as good a reason as any.

The Chocolate Pot

Since I mentioned it in the Morning Ritual post I should explain. A chocolate pot is a tall, narrow pot traditionally used to serve drinking chocolate in the 17th and 18th centuries — before coffee became the morning drink of choice. They often have a small hole in the lid for a wooden stirring rod called a molinet, used to froth the chocolate. Mine is white porcelain and made by Pillivuyt.

On a side note — did you know that chocolate houses were the precursor to coffee houses? They were prevalent in London and were often exclusive establishments where the wealthy elite gathered to drink chocolate, socialize and discuss politics or gossip.

If you want your own chocolate pot you can find beautiful antique ones on eBay and at auction.

A Final Word

I have been making this recipe for decades. It has traveled with me from a café in Paris to the kitchen of every house I have ever lived in. It has seen me through cold mornings and hard days and regular days that quietly turned into anything but. Each time I drink it I am reminded of the cups I have enjoyed on my adventures with friends and family.

If you try it I would love to hear what you think. And if you have your own version — a family recipe, a secret ingredient, a café you remember from a trip long ago — tell me about it in the comments. Some of the best conversations I have ever had have started over a cup of something warm.

If you missed my Morning Ritual After 50 post you can find it here. And if you want to understand why the ritual matters so much, start with Intentional Living After 50.

Have you ever had real drinking chocolate? Drop a comment below — I would love to hear about it. Do you have a favorite place to drink it in Paris or the United States?

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You might also enjoy:

My Morning Ritual After 50 — Everything In It and Why It’s Non Negotiable

Intentional Living After 50: What It Really Looks Like

30 Day Self Care Challenge: Little Things Big Changes

Monday Musings — A Lazy Weekend and the First Breath of March

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Real Drinking Chocolate

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Real drinking chocolate changed my life in Paris at sixteen. Here is my three ingredient recipe, decades in the making and finally exactly right.

• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

· 2 1/2 oz good dark chocolate — TCHO or Guittard bittersweet — finely chopped

· 1 cup whole milk

· A pinch of cayenne pepper

· A pinch of cinnamon — optional but recommended

· Brown sugar to taste — start with half a teaspoon

· Whipped cream to serve or if you prefer frothed milk foam

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Instructions

1.  Warm the milk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Do not let it boil. Once warmed, remove from the heat.

2.  Add the chopped chocolate and whisk steadily until completely melted and smooth.

3.  Return to medium heat, bring to a gentle simmer and continue stirring for a few minutes until the chocolate reaches your desired consistency.

4.  Add the cayenne and cinnamon — start with less than you think you need, you can always add more.

5.  Taste and add brown sugar if desired — start with half a teaspoon.

6.  Whisk until the chocolate is slightly frothy and steaming.

7.  Pour into your favorite cup and top with whipped cream.

8.  Sit down. Do not rush this, you are worth it.

Notes

Cayenne is not traditional in French drinking chocolate — it is simply something I like. Start with a pinch and adjust to suit yourself. The cinnamon is equally optional but I rarely skip it.

Whole milk makes a richer cup. Some people like to add a splash of heavy cream as well. You can also use a milk alternative but the texture will be thinner. I do not use whipped cream on my chocolate every morning but do add it once in a while.

• Author: Elizabeth
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Drinks
• Cuisine: French